Wednesday, June 30, 2010
World Cup fever.
All three articles by three different countries provide information on how office productivity is affected by the recent World Cup game. Employees are willing to sacrifice their sleeping time or even ask for a few days' leave in order to catch their favourite game. Some of them can even lie in order to get their leaves approved. In China, employees are also willing to quit their job in order not to miss the game as this event takes place once every four years. All these are causing the productivity in office to fall.
On the other hand, employees can also be distracted at work by the games going on around the world. They might be surfing the net watching replays on the matches or posting comments on forums, during office hours. These actions are most likely to cause the increases in bandwidth consumption in office, therefore causing the crash in company servers. Consequences such as a longer time is needed to download important files or opening business-critical applications will occur.
As World Cup is the greatest sporting event in the world and people do not want to give it a miss, I feel that employees have the rights to enjoy the game during this period. If they want to take a little bit of time off or want to go early to watch a game, they will make up that time elsewhere by doing overtime work in future. Otherwise, they can choose to start work earlier in the morning, therefore, they could finish up their work and leave earlier as well. With proper time-management, people can enjoy the games after a long day at work.
By: Zhengyi (104611S)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Self-reflection
The topic on plagiarism has reminded me not to commit such act for it is a serious crime, punishable by law. Ultimately, display a lack of integrity and and respect for the work of others. Before i read this article i had no idea that plagiarising was THAT a terrible thing to do, i for one was guilty of it. like the article mentioned, people are not aware of doing it! After reading it, i'm ashamed to have commited it and in a way i will sub-consciously remind myself not to plagiarise and not to be so dependent on internet and books for resources.
The topic that left me a deep impression was one the enviroment. Topics like plagiarism, spliting on weightage of mother tounge and singapore stay young forever is an issue on a different scale and can be easily handled by the authorities, while enviromental degradation is a non-reversable process that would affect the entire population of the earth and even the next generation. A major problem that requires the co-operation of everyone not only the authorities, to solve it. I'm sure that we all have a part to play, do not under estimate every little effort we as an individual make for it makes a difference as a society, thus it makes me feel important and valuable in the society. I would like to be positive regarding the enviromental issue, as they say, there is only 1 problem but there are many solutions.
In conclusion. The 4 weeks of blogging has been very fruitful. Picking up habbits such as reading up news papers and magazine every once in a while. Being more aware of my actions.
-Mich
Friday, June 18, 2010
Conserving the enviroment.
Harmful gases are release by the factories that will destroy the earth’s ozone layer. Poisonous substances are also leak into the rivers that cause animals that live the in river to die. Animals that rely on them for food also face danger, and the cycle goes on. Deforestation in Kalimantan is also one of the factors that caused global warming. As people needs space for agriculture activities, recreation, mining etc, such deforestation cannot be avoid.
Animals end up suffering for us.
Polar bears in North Pole, animals facing danger of extinction.
However, human remains ignorant.
Fortunately, the government had come out with plans to reduce deforestation.
Government had come out with advertisement and education to remind and teach people to conserve the environment.
My part in conserving the environment is to use fan instead of aircon, reduce bathing time in order to save water, switch off the lights when not in use. Outside, never throw rubbish on the floor. Through all these simple things in life, every one of us can do a great part in conserving the environment.
It’s our part to save the earth.
If I can do it, so can you!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Conserving the environment
Various species of animals and plants around the world are facing the risk of extinction due to the destruction of the habitats and climates caused by human activities such as deforestation and pollution.
Animals and plants such as the Arctic fox, leatherback turtle, koala, beluga whale, clownfish, emperor penguin, quiver tree, ringed seal, salmon and staghorn corals are also affected by the change of the climate due to global-warming.
To raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its lose to human well-being, the United Nations has marked 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. The United Nations has also organized a high-profile meeting at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO which involves heads of states, royalty and their representatives – emphasizing the importance of resolving environmental issues.
In my opinion, ordinary civilians can also do their part in conserving the environment by reusing, reducing and recycling waste products and supporting environmental policies. As consumers, we can also support products are made from eco-friendly materials.
Yap Si Ling (100832P)
Plagiarism
It is a good thing that the schools in Singapore are starting early by teaching students about plagiarism.
As students usually gather information from the web for their school projects, it is important that they are understand and respect the rights of the author, as well as to give credit.
Primary school pupils are merely children of 7 to 12 years old, they probably do not know that it is wrong for them to ‘copy and paste’ certain information from the web and pass it off as a completed work of their own. Thus, it is essential for the students to know that copying information from the web is as bad as physically copying a friend’s work.
In higher-level institutions such as polytechnics and universities, the penalties for plagiarism would normally range from having a fail grade, suspension, or even expulsion in the serious cases. Therefore, it is vital for students to have a firm understanding about plagiarism at the primary level, to prevent them from committing the mistake unknowingly when they are older.
Yap Si Ling (100832P)
Biodiversity
When over-fishing occurs, there might not be sufficient fishes left for the future generations to consume. Therefore, laws are implemented to reduce over-fishing for the the benefit of the people. Vulnerable species like the Arctic fox, Leather-back turtle and Koala are starting to extinct because of the climate changes. The fault partially lies on the people, because of the Carbon Dioxide they produce from factories and car petrol. Too much Carbon Dioxide will lead to the depletion of ozone layer, which eventually causes global warming whereby temperature will increase and cause water level to rise and change the precipitation pattern. Not only carbon dioxide, oil spills that isn't cleared immediately will block oxygen from getting into the ocean, thus not allowing the water species to breath, therefore results in deaths of the species.
In conclusion, I believe that everyone should be more cautious towards the environment and do something about it to reduce the drop in the number of extinctions.
-Kimberley
Plagiarism
Comparing both articles, it shows that the Government is taking action against plagiarism. In Singapore, when plagiarism occurs, penalties like suspension or a failed grade will be given. While in Tokyo, penalties like dismissal will also be given. To prevent plagiarism from happening, cyber-wellness education is given to students, so that they will be more familiar with the concept of intellectual property.
Imagine if you're the one who came up with the idea, and found someone plagiarize it without permission or even without crediting you. Won't you feel unappreciated? All in all, one has to put themselves into other people's shoe. And also, because of the copyright infringements, people may sue you if you are found to be plagiarizing their ideas which would not end up pleasing both parties either.
-Kimberley
Singapore staying young forever.
In my opinion, Singaporeans should continue striving hard in the education segment because whatever they learn will help them achieve success and is the best investment for their future. This does not only applies to the youngsters, but also the old age because usually employers tend to recruit people who are well educated and well-equipped. Therefore, the old age should also continue to upgrade their skills though they might have been retired.
Singapore has to be an active and bustling city where people live, work and play so that Singaporeans can bond and communicate with each other, regardless of race, religions and social backgrounds. Such movements proves that Singapore is young and active. An example will be creating Marina Barrage where events, like marathons, will be held. Hosting events like the Youth Olympic Games and F1 has definitely helped Singapore in being young, because it encourages both young and old to take up sports and get involved in it, and has made Singapore more well-known in the eyes of other countries.
-Kimberley
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Enviromental awareness
In the 21st century no one is able to live without money which is why we go through education to raise our market value as a person to get a well-paid job in the society. The enviromental detioration is not so much contributed by the people who works in the tertiary industry, is the people that work in primary & secondary industry. These people rely on cutting down trees to produce furniture and fishing to sell in the market for our daily consumption as their main source of income this is more commonly practice in the poorer countries as they need money, however they over did it, neglecting the enviroment for thier own economic benefit. As a result of deforestation, it lead to depletion of ozone layer which cause global warming, killing fishes and animals living in the cold regions such Antartica and the North and South Poles due to the loss of habitat. Excessive fishing will lead to extiction of fishes and other sea creatures in years to come, which was addressed in the article Quoting "then we are in the situation where 40years down the line we, effectively, are out of fish". This is a major problem as many people rely on fishes as their souce of food and nutrition.
Its good news that goverment has step up on this issue by introducing the restructuring smaller boats that -once fish stock recover- would be able to land bigger catch, also creation of marine preservation and allowing the fish stock to recover before fishing them again.
Having all said and done, men are not entirely to blame for our enviromental decline. The world we live in cultivates and in a way teaches us to be competitive, survival of the fittest, thus men continue to strive for success by all means even on the expense of the enviroment. Measures and laws implemented by the goverment would only be successful if the people agrees to coorperate even so it would only slow down the process of enviromental detioration for it is an inevitable outcome.
But nonetheless we should all treasure the earth for it supports lives. Everyone has a part to play.
-Mich
Plagiarism
In my opinion, Plagiarism means taking one person's things or ideas without their consent or permission.
In our daily life, plagiarism occurs all the time unknowingly, be it on purpose or not. Even if we found out that some people are copying or using another person's work without crediting it, we would not bother to remind the person or we will find that it is perfectly alright and it is not against plagiarism.
For example, when doing project. We get our information from the wikipedia and copy them and put it as our own work. However, how many of us will admit that we are using the ideas of other people instead of ours?
Another example that i have found myself, http://www.blogskins.com/, is a website that people create their own blogskin and post there for other people to use. I found out that most of the blogskin that people created used photos from the internet and edit them through photoshop and make the photo theirs. Most of them did not credit the photographer and instead, they credit themselves for the photos that they took from the internet.
How would the author feels about this when they saw their own work being copied and was credited to another person? If plagiarism continues, the author will not have motivation to create more ideas because they will not be credited or appreciated.
In conclusion, using ideas from other people is not wrong, however, we do have to respect the author by crediting them.
Written by:
Lo Pei Chuan
102320J
MK1003
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Plagiarism
It is a huge relieve to hear that goverments of respective country are taking actions against anyone found to have commited an act of plagiarism. Wed, Apr 28 2010. In japan, the president of Tokyo University has revoked a doctorate degree it had conffered after confirming that the Turkish assistant professor has falsified is academic credentials and plagiarized his doctoral thesis. The university president has decided to take drastic measure against plagiarism by implementing stricter screening and harsher penalites to candidates violating the copyrights infringement. In my opinion the president has made a wise choice in implementing such measure, ensuring a decrease in number of people commiting such shameless act. I believe that success is earn through hardwork and perserverance, not cutting corners by taking credits of others and make believing accademic credentials.
Here in singapore, the MOE(Ministry of Education) has also taken measures by educating students about plagiarism even in primary school. MOE suggested schools tp incorporate cyber-wellness in thier curriculum. Having these programs will help students to familiarize with the concept of intellectual property. Often in school's handbooks or campus, academic codes of intetgrity are spelled out to create awareness among students on plagiarism. Disciplinary actions such receiving a fail grade, counciling, suspension or even expulsion would be applied to students caught commiting the act of plagiarism. In my opinion, its only fair to have such rules implemented as it would help to gauge the actual calibur of a student and awarding them what they deserve.
In a nutshell, i'm absolutely against the act of plagiarism as i believe it is wrong having to duplicate someone else's work and claiming as yours. Be it a minor or a major assignment, test or examination, it should only reflect an honest and true result of our own hardwork and capability.
-Mich
Monday, June 7, 2010
The importance of conserving the environment.
Endangered species like the arctic fox, leatherback turtle and koala are facing serious extinction by the loss of ice, increasing sea levels and storms etc. Demand for animal resources directly or for the natural resources constituting the animals’ habitats are examples of human activities. Global warming also affect many things in many ways. It changes the climate, temperature and habitats, allowing these species to lose their lives.
"Ordinary people are not powerless to stop these tragic losses". This tells us that everyone do play a part in reducing human activities to prevent animals extinction. In my opinion, immediate action should be implemented to protect what little habitat is left in many areas around the world. Conservation and breeding programs can be encouraged. Reducing waste and switching to renewable energy can also help to slow down Global warming. Human beings should be responsible for their own actions as well.
Biodiversity is essential for our existence because the earth's biological systems and processes provide us with food, shelter, fuel, clean water and clean air. Biodiversity also provides all other species with the resources they required for their survival. Therefore, without biodiversity, we would not be able to survive.
- Zhengyi (104611S)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Plagiarism.
Plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.
On the article titled "Schools stress to pupils: No copying", as young as primary school pupils practised plagiarism in their work. Although cases are as low as one case per year, it is still important to educate the pupils to tell them the importance of copy rights. Teaching the pupils on plagiarism should start as early as possible, this will bring benefits in their future and further education. Through talks and workshops on cyber wellness, pupils will tend to know more on what are the wrong things they should avoid doing on the internet. In this case, both teachers and parents play an important role in educating their children with the right values.
Another article titled "Tokyo University to crack down on plagiarism in theses", an assistant professor was caught to falsified his academic credentials and plagiarized his doctoral thesis. In my opinion, plagiarism can lead to serious consequences, especially when one has stepped into the working society. Plagiarizing other people's work is a serious offence, this could allow one to pay a high price for it.
Plagiarism can occur anywhere, be it in school or at work. In my opinion, self-discipline and self-control are needed, so that it will not lead to all the wrong-doings. One must also be responible for their own actions. If there is a need to copy, we ought to give some credits and respect the rights of the original author.
- Zhengyi (104611S)